Brazilian Mariana Dias received her training at the Escola Estadual de Danças Maria Olenewa, the Houston Ballet Academy in Texas and at the London Studio Centre. In 1998 she was engaged at the Semperoper of Dresden by Vladimir Derevianko and was to be seen there in pieces by John Neumeier, Stephan Thoss and Xin Peng Wang and in world premieres by Mauro Bigonzetti, Ralf Dörnen, Krzystztof Pastor and Robert North. In 2001 she switched to the Leipziger Ballett under the direction of Uwe Scholz and from 2005 of Paul Chalmer: Her debut rôle there was Katharina in John Cranko’s “The Taming of the Shrew”. She also danced solo and lead rôles in various choreographies and world premieres by Uwe Scholz, Paul Chalmer, George Balanchine and Martin Chaix. Since 2009 she has been a member of Ballett am Rhein under Martin Schläpfer’s direction. She has enlarged her repertoire by solo rôles in choreographies not only by her director, but also by Merce Cunningham, Mats Ek, Jiří Kylián, Hans van Manen and Twyla Tharp.